How Shaped Neodymium Magnets Are Manufactured

Rare-earth magnets are widely known for their immense strength and numerous manufacturing applications. Precisely speaking, neodymium has unparalleled power and permanence over other rare-earth elements. Magnets containing neodymium, also called Neo magnets, come in various shapes such as arc, block, disc, cylinder and countersunk. Magnets of a specific shape are generally chipped from a manufactured standard block. During the producing process, atomic particles with their electron spin are put through a delicate and complex arrangement. After mine first, the raw material is crushed to a particulate substance and blend carefully through the grinding and alloy mixing process. This is how the manufacturer comes up with various grades of raw material.

Each grade of crushed material has unique magnetic properties. Therefore, different grades are of unique power of resistance against high temperatures and other environmental factors. Moreover, some grades are stronger and durable while others are not. The third step is pressing. The mixture is compressed together into a form and then followed by the fourth step called particle alignment. The producer of Neomagnets uses a very big electromagnet to align the material particles of the pressed mixture. This allows magnetization to be possible afterwards. After the alignment has taken place properly, the sintering procedure follows to ensure that the aligned particles are firmly locked into place. Note that special machines are required for all the machining procedures above.

Milling and cutting is the next necessary step in order for a refined mixture. Many magnets manufacturers use jet milling, which consists of highly pressurized gas put in an inert atmosphere. Expert millers can beat the scale of plus/minus 0.05 mm. They can manage to work with higher level of tolerance. Soon after producing finished arc magnets as well as other particular shapes, they are plated and connected with optional materials like epoxy, nickel, zinc, ABS plastic or copper. The aim is to protect the nascent and naked products from rusting; otherwise they are corroded rather fast. Neodymium magnets are alloys of iron, neodymium and boron, whose alloying property leads to their susceptibility to corrosion and collision. When it comes to collision and breakage, the underlying material feature is that atoms inside the magnet want to pull away from each other. There is no technical solution but to handle it cautiously. Therefore, safety information or handling guide must be attached with the final product.

Proper magnetization process takes place when all the steps mentioned above have been completed successfully. When a magnet is magnetized, it is given magnetic properties. The direction of particle alignment is considered and set up during the alignment phase. After magnetization is completed, neodymium arc magnets and other shapes must be sampled and tested through a quality assurance procedure. If they pass this process they are then considered ready for distribution and sale. Nowadays, it is easy to find a number of online retailers and distributors supplying neodymium magnets. But not all commercialized magnets have premier quality and good service. It is very important to check a vendor to see if it can provide polymorphic, customized, thermoduric neodymium magnets with good price, quality and turnaround time.

By Stanford Magnets

Stanford Magnets has been involved in R&D, manufacturing and sales of permanent magnets since the mid 1980s. We are supplier of rare earth permanent magnetic products such as neodymium magnets, and other non-rare earth permanent magnets. We have provided various customers in different fields, such as NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), loud speakers, wind turbines and mechanical devices, large quantities at very competitive pricing.

Neodymium Magnet Shapes - Learn about Ball-Shaped Magnets

Since the first Neodymium Magnets were produced back in 1982, they have been growing more and more popular. It is clear that these magnets are studied, developed and produced by a well-known and respected company, General Motors. It was not long before their use spread way beyond the initial one required. Neodymium ball magnets can be made by two methods - either the bonded process or the sintered process. With the sintered process, the products are melted and then set to the shape of an ingot. Once cooled, the ingot will be shattered into tiny pieces and then the small pieces are reformed into blocks which then have their surface treated before they are magnetized.

With bonded magnets, thin slices are melt-spun and then smashed to small pieces. Then a polymer is added and then the magnet is formed into the shape required including the ball or spherical shape. The bonded magnets are easier to shape and when there is the need for a ball or arc battery then this is the way to do it. In 2013, China produced most of these magnets, which is estimated to be 75% of the worlds’ consumption. Classified as rare-earth magnets, they have usage hazards that do not appear in other types of magnets. There is possibility to cause physical injury due to the strong magnetic force these magnets possess, but this will only be the case if they are not used appropriately.

One of the great advantages of neodymium ball magnets is that they never lose their strength. There is no need to worry that they are going to have to be replaced regularly as they will do the job they are intended to do for a long time. In many cases there will be two years of hard use before there are any problems at all. One big problem when using a ball magnet is exposure to heat, but it would have to be more than 100°C.This will be the ideal type of magnet to use when there is the need for a very high magnetic force and a lot of electric current needs to be provided. Their use is as wide and varied as can be imagined. They can be found in spacecraft instruments and loudspeakers, medical instruments and magnetic therapy products.

Although they are strong and have some amazing applications, they are also widely available online and have many applications at home. Many scientific projects that children bring home from school will require them, apart from which they can be used to stick freshly painted pictures to the fridge. If this is done however, children should be warned not to play with neodymium block magnets, especially if there is more than one, as they can be dangerous. There were cases of bones broken and also if swallowed, they can cause digestive problems and have been known to kill.

By Stanford Magnets, http://www.stanfordmagnets.com/.

Based in California, Stanford Magnets has been involved in the R&D and sales of licensed Rare-earth permanent magnets, Neodymium magnets and SmCo magnets, ceramic magnets, flexible magnets and magnetic assemblies since the mid of 1980s. We supply all these types of magnets in a wide range of shapes, sizes and grades.

Super Strong Magnetic Field of MRI Flying Objects

MRI is short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is a procedure used in hospitals to scan patients and determine the severity of certain injuries. An MRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the body. Common reasons people go in to get an M.R.I. are for a sprained ankle or back pain. MRI machines are extremely safe if used properly.  However in the years since the device first went into widespread use, there have been "hundreds or thousands" of incidents where objects became magnetized and attracted to MRI machines. The items have included cigarette lighters, paper clips, clipboards, wheelchairs, gurneys and even floor polishers jammed deep inside M.R.I. scanners whose powerful magnets grabbed them from the hands of careless hospital workers.

No one knows how many have occurred. But the safety experts say there is no doubt they are on the rise, and their growing frequency is prompting widespread calls for more regulation.  Most accidents are caused by human error, not scanner malfunction. Although the Food and Drug Administration approves the scanners as medical devices, it does not regulate how their operators behave.

The most notorious accident was the death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini in 2001 at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y. He was sedated in a scanner after a brain operation when his oxygen supply failed. An anesthesiologist ran for an oxygen tank and failed to notice that the one he found in the hall outside was made of steel. As he returned, the tank shot out of his hands, hitting Michael in the head.

Another serious incident at Rochester, N.Y., hospital involved an MRI pulling a gun out of a police officer's hand and discharged a shot. Fortunately no one was injured. 

Although there are ways to make scanning rooms safer - with architectural changes, new types of metal detectors and precautions to ensure that patients and visitors are not wearing or carrying ferromagnetic metal - the measures are not required by law or the medical profession, and only some scanner operators use them.The National Institutes of Health has stressed the danger of leaving objects that can be magnetized near the machine.

By Stanford Magnets, http://www.stanfordmagnets.com/.

Based in California, Stanford Magnets has been involved in the R&D and sales of licensed Rare-earth permanent magnets, Neodymium magnets and SmCo magnets, ceramic magnets, flexible magnets and magnetic assemblies since the mid of 1980's. We supply all these types of magnets in a wide range of shapes, sizes and grades

Protect Your Children from Potential Magnetic Injury

With the discovering of super strong rare earth magnets, that magnets are used widely in different applications and the size of magnets are becoming smaller and smaller. This development of bring up other problems: Children may swallow small piece rare earth magnets for curiosity or carelessness. Recent research suggests that the number of children swallowing magnets through ingestion or nasal is increasing. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that between 2009 and 2011, at least 1,700 children were taken to the emergency room after ingesting magnets, with many requiring surgery.  Swallowing magnets can cause a number of serious health effects, and in some cases death. Therefore caretakers need to be aware of the symptoms and take relevant measures to prevent children and in some cases teenagers from the possible adverse effects of swallowing magnets.

Parents and guardians need to pay particular attention to children’s toys as a wide range of children's products such as building toys, dolls and action figures, alphabet and number magnets, science and craft kits, board games and vehicle sets contain small powerful magnets.  Teenagers are also at risk as they put balls of magnets in between their lips, on their tongues and in their noses to mimic facial piercings. Furthermore small powerful magnets used in jewelry, clothing accessories and other household items such as fridge magnets may pose a hazard if the item itself is small enough to be swallowed or if the small magnet breaks away from the product and is swallowed.

SIDE EFFECTS

When a single magnet is swallowed, it can become lodged inside the throat, lungs, or esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach). This can lead to choking, difficulty breathing, or damage to the area.  While a swallowed magnet smaller than a penny will generally pass through a child’s digestive system, large, sharp, or oddly shaped items may become stuck.

“A much greater danger exists when a magnet is swallowed along with another magnet or piece of metal.  When two or more such objects are swallowed, the magnetic attraction can pin the bowel walls together leading to a blockage or tearing of the bowel that is potentially deadly.  If more than one magnet is swallowed, the balls can pull together inside the child's digestive system, resulting in intestinal wounds andin some cases intestinal perforations, sepsis and death.”said Rita Wang, technical manager of Stanford Magnets.

The magnets, which are made of the rare-earth element neodymium,stick together with such force that if they’re ingested, they can bore holes in the stomach or intestines, sometimes causing blood poisoning and requiring emergency surgery. After swallowing eight magnets in April, 22-month-old Braylon Jordan of Kiln, Miss., needed to have almost all of his small intestine removed; leaving him dependent on intravenous nutrition.

SYMPTOMS

Swallowing magnets happens quietly with no signs of physical distress or discomfort for many days.  Flu-like symptoms with nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain may occur when the bowel becomes blocked.  If untreated and the bowel wall tears, symptoms may worsen to include loss of consciousness and severe shock. Deaths have occurred as the result of swallowing magnets.

TREATMENT

The treatment is determined by the symptoms the child is experiencing as well as the size, shape, and number of magnets swallowed.  The child will most likely have X-rays performed prior to decisions about a treatment plan.  The treatment plan may range from simple observation to removal of the items, either by a scope or by surgery.Swallowed magnets should be removed, often via surgery, within eight to 12 hours for the best results. If not treated swiftly, swallowed magnets can be fatal.  If your child has swallowed a magnet or one has become stuck in the nose or ear, take them to a health care facility.  Do not try to induce vomiting or give food or drink.  If the child is experiencing breathing problems, call 911.

PREVENTION

RARE-EARTH MAGNETS SHOULD BE KEPT OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DO NOT INGEST OR INHALE MAGNETS. INGESTION OR INHALATION OF MAGNETS MAY RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH.

You should teach children of all ages that small magnets or small items with attached magnets should never be placed in their mouth. Supervise children around products with magnets.  Check products often to make sure they are in good condition. Look for magnets that may have been separated from toys and other products and immediately remove the magnets from the reach of young children.  In addition, follow the safety warnings and manufacturer's age recommendations on children's toys. Keep toys intended for older children out of the reach of younger children.

About Stanford Magnets, http://www.stanfordmagnets.com/.

Based in California, Stanford Magnets has been involved in the R&D and sales of licensed Rare-earth permanent magnets, Neodymium magnets and SmCo magnets, ceramic magnets, flexible magnets and magnetic assemblies since the mid of 1980s. We supply all these types of magnets in a wide range of shapes, sizes and grades